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The Fourth Annual Critics' Choice Television Awards were held Thursday night, with AMC's Breaking Bad, Netflix's Orange Is the New Black, and FX's Fargo coming away with the big wins. The awards, which are chosen by TV critics, have a knack for recognizing the programs and performances that are often overlooked by the other big television award shows. But do the slightly out-there nominees have a chance for gold when it comes to the Primetime Emmys? We've decided to predict the nominees and winners of this year's Emmys based on the winners of last nights Critics Choice Awards. The two award shows might have more winners in common than you would expect.
BEST DRAMA SERIES
Critics' Choice AwardsThe Americans Breaking BadGame of Thrones The Good Wife Masters of Sex True Detective
Emmy PredictionsBreaking BadGame of ThronesThe Good WifeHouse of CardsMad MenTrue Detective
Last year's Emmy winner, Breaking Bad, is coming off a fantastic final season, so it's hard to reason how Vince Gilligan's masterwork won't win the night's big award yet again. But on the slim chance that Bad doesn't win (and we mean slim), True Detective is the most sensible alternative. We don't expect low profile dramas like Masters of Sex and The Americans to be recognized by the Emmys, and the hype on Downton Abbey has cooled of considerably this year. Another Emmy favorite, Homeland, had its worst season yet last year, freeing the category up for some new blood.
BEST COMEDY SERIES
Critics' Choice AwardsThe Big Bang Theory Broad City Louie Orange Is the New Black Silicon Valley Veep
Emmy PredictionsThe Big Bang TheoryLouieModern FamilyOrange Is the New BlackParks and RecreationVeep
Freshman dramedy Orange Is the New Black will certainly get nominated at the Emmys, but we're doubtful that Netflix's prison series will win the top prize like it did at the Critics' Choice Awards, certainly not in a race that includes Modern Family. The juggernaut of a sitcom has won the category four times in a row, and there's nothing with enough buzz to stop it's warpath. Elsewhere, Critics' Choice nominees like Silicon Valley and Broad City are way off the Emmys radar, and don't stand a chance of getting nominated.
BEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Critics' Choice AwardsBryan Cranston, Breaking Bad Hugh Dancy, Hannibal Freddie Highmore, Bates Motel Matthew McConaughey, True Detective Matthew Rhys, The Americans Michael Sheen, Masters of Sex
Emmy PredictionsBryan Cranston, Breaking BadJeff Daniels, The NewsroomJohn Hamm, Mad MenDamien Lewis, HomelandMatthew McConaughey, True DetectiveKevin Spacey, House of Cards
McConaughey came out on top at the Critic's Choice Awards, but despite his massive performance in True Detective, we're doubtful he will best Cranston at the Emmys. We're expecting the rest of the category's Emmy nominees to be rounded out with the usual suspects. While the critics recognized the great performances in Hannibal, The Americans, and Bates Motel, we're doubtful that any of those shows will make it to the Emmys this year, or any year for that matter.
BEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Critics' Choice Awards Lizzy Caplan, Masters of Sex Vera Farmiga, Bates Motel Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black Keri Russell, The Americans Robin Wright, House of Cards
Emmy PredictionsClaire Danes, HomelandJulianna Margules, The Good WifeElisabeth Moss, Mad MenTatiana Maslany, Orphan BlackKerry Washington, ScandalRobin Wright, House of Cards
When the dust settles, we're expecting Tatiana Maslany to also win the Emmy in this category. At this point, her hype is insurmountable, and riots might break out if she doesn't leave the Nokia theater with something golden.
BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Critics' Choice AwardsLouis C.K., Louie Chris Messina, The Mindy Project Thomas Middleditch, Silicon Valley Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory Adam Scott, Parks and Recreation Robin Williams, The Crazy Ones
Emmy PredictionsDon Cheadle, House of LiesLouis C.K., LouieMatt LeBlanc, EpisodesJim Parsons, The Big Band TheoryAndy Samberg, Brooklyn Nine-NineRobin Williams, The Crazy Ones
The Big Bang Theory's Jim Parsons will likely walk home with both awards. In terms of the other nominations, there's no way Chris Messina or Thomas Middleditch have a chance at securing an Emmy nomination. We're also betting that Robin Williams gets nominated, due mostly due organization's usual affection for "veterans" ... or so the Emmys have an excuse to invite the actor to the show and hear his Genie voice.
BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Critics' Choice AwardsIlana Glazer, Broad City Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep Wendi McLendon-Covey, The Goldbergs Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation Amy Schumer, Inside Amy Schumer Emmy Rossum, Shameless
Emmy PredictionsZooey Deschanel, New GirlLena Dunham, GirlsEdie Falco, Nurse JackieJulia Louis-Dreyfus, VeepMelissa McCarthy, Mike &amp; MollyAmy Poehler, Parks and RecreatonLouis-Dreyfus' foul-mouthed vice-prez will likely win the Emmy along with the Critics' Choice Award this year. As for the other nomination slots, Glazer and Schumer have no chance at getting nominated for Emmys. We're expecting the rest of the nomination list to be filled up with Emmys regulars like Melissa McCarthy and Edie Falco.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Critics' Choice AwardsJosh Charles, The Good Wife Walton Goggins, Justified Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad Peter Sarsgaard, The Killing Jon Voight, Ray Donovan Jeffrey Wright, Boardwalk Empire
Emmy PredictionsPeter Dinklage, Game of ThronesWalton Goggins, JustifiedAaron Paul, Breaking BadDean Norris, Breaking BadMandy Patinkin, HomelandJeffery Wright, Boardwalk Empire
Aaron Paul seems like a lock for the Emmys this year. The only person we could see upsetting what is basically destiny at this point is Peter Dinklage, who had a massive year on Game of Thrones. As for the other nominees, we are actually expecting the two award shows to stack up pretty similarly. Mandy Patinkin will definitely get an Emmy nod, while there might be enough space in the mix for long-snubbed Walton Goggins. One can dream, right?
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Critics' Choice AwardsChristine Baranski, The Good Wife Anna Gunn, Breaking Bad Annet Mahendru, The Americans Melissa McBride, The Walking Dead Maggie Siff, Sons of Anarchy Bellamy Young, Scandal
Emmy PredictionsChristine Baranski, The Good WifeEmilia Clarke, Game of ThronesAnna Gunn, Breaking BadChristina Hendricks, Mad MenMichelle Monaghan, True DetectiveMaggie Smith, Downton Abbey
While Anna Gunn didn't secure a Critics' Choice Award for the last season of Breaking Bad, we're betting she goes home with an Emmy this September. As for the other nominees, we don't expect Maggie Siff, Melissa McBride, and Annet Mahendru to get an Emmy nod, even though each actress certainly deserves the recognition.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Critics' Choice AwardsAndre Braugher, Brooklyn Nine-Nine Keith David, Enlisted Tony Hale, Veep Albert Tsai, Trophy Wife Christopher Evan Welch, Silicon Valley Jeremy Allen White, Shameless
Emmy PredictionsAndre Braugher, Brooklyn Nine-NineJesse Tyler Ferguson, Modern FamilyEric Stonestreet, Modern FamilyTy Burrell, Modern FamilyTony Hale, VeepNick Offerman, Parks and RecreationAt this point, the supporting actor in a comedy category should be renamed the "Which Modern Family actor hasn't won in a while?" and that honor goes to Ferguson. Even though the Critics' Choice Awards don't feature a single nominee from ABC's dominant sitcom, expect at least three nominees from the show on Emmy night. Four if Ed O'Neil sneaks his way onto the bill. Also, kudos to the Critics Choice awards for nominating Albert Tsai for Trophy Wife. Bert will live in our hearts forever.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Critics' Choice AwardsMayim Bialik, The Big Bang Theory Laverne Cox, Orange Is the New Black Kaley Cuoco, The Big Bang Theory Allison Janney, Mom Kate Mulgrew, Orange Is the New Black Merritt Wever, Nurse Jackie
Emmy PredictionsMayim Bialik, The Big Bang TheoryJulie Bowen, Modern FamilyAllison Janney, MomKate Mulgrew, Orange Is the New BlackSofia Vergara, Modern FamilyMerrit Weaver, Nurse Jackie
It might be crazy talk, but we think this category is Orange Is the New Black's best chance for its first Emmy. The show has such a dynamite supporting cast and heavy following that it may be able to crack the winner's circle in its first year of eligibility. We're thinking Kate Mulgrew has a good chance since Modern Family isn't nearly as dominant in this category as it is in Best Supporting Actor.
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Lions Gate via Everett Collection
When we last left our heroes, they had conquered all opponents in the 74th Annual Hunger Games, returned home to their newly refurbished living quarters in District 12, and fallen haplessly to the cannibalism of PTSD. And now we're back! Hitching our wagons once again to laconic Katniss Everdeen and her sweet-natured, just-for-the-camera boyfriend Peeta Mellark as they gear up for a second go at the Capitol's killing fields.
But hold your horses — there's a good hour and a half before we step back into the arena. However, the time spent with Katniss and Peeta before the announcement that they'll be competing again for the ceremonial Quarter Quell does not drag. In fact, it's got some of the film franchise's most interesting commentary about celebrity, reality television, and the media so far, well outweighing the merit of The Hunger Games' satire on the subject matter by having Katniss struggle with her responsibilities as Panem's idol. Does she abide by the command of status quo, delighting in the public's applause for her and keeping them complacently saturated with her smiles and curtsies? Or does Katniss hold three fingers high in opposition to the machine into which she has been thrown? It's a quarrel that the real Jennifer Lawrence would handle with a castigation of the media and a joke about sandwiches, or something... but her stakes are, admittedly, much lower. Harvey Weinstein isn't threatening to kill her secret boyfriend.
Through this chapter, Katniss also grapples with a more personal warfare: her devotion to Gale (despite her inability to commit to the idea of love) and her family, her complicated, moralistic affection for Peeta, her remorse over losing Rue, and her agonizing desire to flee the eye of the public and the Capitol. Oftentimes, Katniss' depression and guilty conscience transcends the bounds of sappy. Her soap opera scenes with a soot-covered Gale really push the limits, saved if only by the undeniable grace and charisma of star Lawrence at every step along the way of this film. So it's sappy, but never too sappy.
In fact, Catching Fire is a masterpiece of pushing limits as far as they'll extend before the point of diminishing returns. Director Francis Lawrence maintains an ambiance that lends to emotional investment but never imposes too much realism as to drip into territories of grit. All of Catching Fire lives in a dreamlike state, a stark contrast to Hunger Games' guttural, grimacing quality that robbed it of the life force Suzanne Collins pumped into her first novel.
Once we get to the thunderdome, our engines are effectively revved for the "fun part." Katniss, Peeta, and their array of allies and enemies traverse a nightmare course that seems perfectly suited for a videogame spin-off. At this point, we've spent just enough time with the secondary characters to grow a bit fond of them — deliberately obnoxious Finnick, jarringly provocative Johanna, offbeat geeks Beedee and Wiress — but not quite enough to dissolve the mystery surrounding any of them or their true intentions (which become more and more enigmatic as the film progresses). We only need adhere to Katniss and Peeta once tossed in the pit of doom that is the 75th Hunger Games arena, but finding real characters in the other tributes makes for a far more fun round of extreme manhunt.
But Catching Fire doesn't vie for anything particularly grand. It entertains and engages, having fun with and anchoring weight to its characters and circumstances, but stays within the expected confines of what a Hunger Games movie can be. It's a good one, but without shooting for succinctly interesting or surprising work with Katniss and her relationships or taking a stab at anything but the obvious in terms of sending up the militant tyrannical autocracy, it never even closes in on the possibility of being a great one.
3.5/5
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Widening the thematic scope without sacrificing too much of the claustrophobia that made the original 1979 Alien universally spooky Prometheus takes the trophy for this summer's most adult-oriented blockbuster entertainment. The movie will leave your mouth agape for its entire runtime first with its majestic exploration of an alien planet and conjectures on the origins of the human race second with its gross-out body horror that leaves no spilled gut to the imagination. Thin characters feel more like pawns in Scott's sci-fi prequel but stunning visuals shocking turns and grand questions more than make up for the shallow ensemble. "Epic" comes in many forms. Prometheus sports all of them.
Based on their discovery of a series of cave drawings all sharing a similar painted design Elizabeth (Noomi Rapace) and Charlie (Logan Marshall-Green) are recruited by Weyland to head a mission to another planet one they believe holds the answers to the creation of life on Earth. Along for the journey are Vickers (Charlize Theron) the ruthless Weyland proxy Janek (Idris Elba) a blue collar captain a slew of faceless scientists and David (Michael Fassbender) HAL 9000-esque resident android who awakens the crew of spaceship Prometheus when they arrive to their destination. Immediately upon descent there's a discovery: a giant mound that's anything but natural. The crew immediately prepares to scope out the scene zipping up high-tech spacesuits jumping in futuristic humvees and heading out to the site. What they discover are the awe-inspiring creations of another race. What they bring back to the ship is what they realize may kill their own.
The first half of Prometheus could be easily mistaken for Steven Spielberg's Alien a sense of wonder glowing from every frame not too unlike Close Encounters. Scott takes full advantage of his fictional settings and imbues them with a reality that makes them even more tantalizing. He shoots the vistas of space and the alien planet like National Geographic porn and savors the interior moments on board the Prometheus full of hologram maps sleeping pods and do-it-yourself surgery modules with the same attention. Prometheus is beautiful shot in immersive 3D that never dampers Dariusz Wolski's sharp photography. Scott's direction seems less interested in the run-or-die scenario set up in the latter half of the film but the film maintains tension and mood from beginning to end. It all just gets a bit…bloodier.
Jon Spaihts' and Damon Lindelof's script doesn't do the performers any favors shuffling them to and fro between the ship and the alien construction without much room for development. Reveals are shoehorned in without much setup (one involving Theron's Vickers that's shockingly mishandled) but for the most part the ensemble is ready to chomp into the script's bigger picture conceits. Rapace is a physical performer capable of pulling off a grisly scene involving an alien some sharp objects and a painful procedure (sure to be the scene of the blockbuster season. Among the rest of the crew Fassbender's David stands out as the film's revelatory performance delivering a digestible ambiguity to his mechanical man that playfully toys with expectations from his first entrance. The creature effects in Prometheus will wow you but even Fassbender's smallest gesture can send the mind spinning. The power of his smile packs more of a punch than any facehugger.
Much like Lindelof's Lost Prometheus aims to explore the idea of asking questions and seeking answers and on Scott's scale it's a tremendous unexpected ride. A few ideas introduced to spur action fall to the way side in the logic department but with a clear mission and end point Prometheus works as a sweeping sci-fi that doesn't require choppy editing or endless explosions to keep us on the edge of our seats. Prometheus isn't too far off from the Alien xenomorphs: born from existing DNA of another creature the movie breaks out as its own beast. And it's wilder than ever.
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A decade-long gap between sequels could leave a franchise stale but in the case of Men in Black 3 it's the launch pad for an unexpectedly great blockbuster. The kooky antics of Agent J (Will Smith) and Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) don't stray far from their 1997 and 2002 adventures but without a bombardment of follow-ups to keep the series in mind the wonderfully weird sensibilities of Men in Black feel fresh Smith's natural charisma once again on full display. Barry Sonnenfeld returns for the threequel another space alien romp with a time travel twist — which turns out to be Pandora's Box for the director's deranged imagination.
As time passed in the real world so did it for the timeline in the world of Men in Black. Picking up ten years after MIB 2 J and K are continuing to protect the Earth from alien threats and enforce the law on those who live incognito. While dealing with their own personal issues — K is at his all-time crabbiest for seemingly no reason — the suited duo encounter an old enemy Boris the Animal (Jemaine Clement) a prickly assassin seeking revenge on K who blew his arm off back in the '60s. Their street fight is more of a warning; Boris' real plan is to head back in time to save his arm and kill off K. He's successful prompting J to take his own leap through the time-space continuum — and team up with a younger K (Josh Brolin) to put an end to Boris plans for world domination.
Men in Black 3 is the Will Smith show. Splitting his time between the brick personalities of Jones and Brolin's K Smith struts his stuff with all the fast-talking comedic style that made him a star in yesteryears. In present day he's still the laid back normal guy in a world of oddities — J raises an eyebrow as new head honcho O (Emma Thompson) delivers a eulogy in a screeching alien tongue but coming up with real world explanations for flying saucer crashes comes a little easier. But back in 1969 he's an even bigger fish out water. Surprisingly director Barry Sonnenfeld and writer Etan Cohen dabble in the inherent issues that would spring up if a black gentlemen decked out in a slick suit paraded around New York in the late '60s. A star of Smith's caliber may stray away from that type of racy humor but the hook of Men in Black 3 is the actor's readiness for anything. He turns J's jokey anachronisms into genuine laughs and doesn't mind letting the special effect artists stretch him into an unrecognizable Twizzler for the movie's epic time jump sequence.
Unlike other summer blockbusters Men in Black 3 is light on the action Sonnenfeld utilizing his effects budget and dazzling creature work (by the legendary Rick Baker) to push the comedy forward. J's fight with an oversized extraterrestrial fish won't keep you on the edge of your seat but his slapstick escape and the marine animal's eventual demise are genuinely amusing. Sonnenfeld carries over the twisted sensibilities he displayed in small screen work like Pushing Daisies favoring bizarre banter and elaborating on the kookiness of the alien underworld than battle scenes. MIB3's chase scene is passable but the movie in its prime when Smith is sparring with Brolin and newcomer Michael Stuhlbarg who steals the show as a being capable of seeing the future. His twitchy character keeps Smith and the audience on their toes.
Men in Black 3 digs up nostalgia I wasn't aware I had. Smith's the golden boy of summer and even with modern ingenuity keeping it fresh — Sonnenfeld uses the mandatory 3D to full and fun effect — there's an element to the film that feels plucked from another era. The movie is economical and slight with plenty of lapses in logic that will provoke head scratching on the walk out of the theater but it's also perfectly executed. After ten years of cinematic neutralizing the folks behind Men in Black haven't forgotten what made the first movie work so well. After al these years Smith continues to make the goofy plot wild spectacle and crazed alien antics look good.
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Last year director Garry Marshall hit upon a devilishly canny approach to the romantic comedy. A more polished refinement of Hal Needham’s experimental Cannonball Run method it called for assembling a gaggle of famous faces from across the demographic spectrum and pairing them with a shallow day-in-the-life narrative packed with gobs of gooey sentiment. A cynical strategy to be sure but one that paid handsome dividends: Valentine’s Day earned over $56 million in its opening weekend surpassing even the rosiest of forecasts. Buoyed by the success Marshall and his screenwriter Katherine Fugate hastily retreated to the bowels of Hades to apply their lucrative formula to another holiday historically steeped in romantic significance and New Year’s Eve was born.
Set in Manhattan on the last day of the year New Year’s Eve crams together a dozen or so canned scenarios into one bloated barely coherent mass of cliches. As before Marshall’s recruited an impressive ensemble of minions to do his unholy bidding including Oscar winners Hilary Swank Halle Berry and Robert De Niro the latter luxuriating in a role that didn’t require him to get out of bed. High School Musical’s Zac Efron is paired up with ‘80s icon Michelle Pfeiffer – giving teenage girls and their fathers something to bond over – while Glee’s Lea Michele meets cute with a pajama-clad Ashton Kutcher. There’s Katherine Heigl in a familiar jilted-fiance role Sarah Jessica Parker as a fretful single mom and Chris “Ludacris” Bridges as the most laid-back cop in New York. Sofia Vergara and Hector Elizondo mine for cheap laughs with thick accents – his fake and hers real – and Jessica Biel and Josh Duhamel deftly mix beauty with blandness. Fans of awful music will delight in the sounds of Jon Bon Jovi straining against type to play a relevant pop musician.
The task of interweaving the various storylines is too great for Marshall and New Year’s Eve bears the distinct scent and stain of an editing-room bloodbath with plot holes so gaping that not even the brightest of celebrity smiles can obscure them. But that’s not the point – it never was. You should know better than to expect logic from a film that portrays 24-year-old Efron and 46-year-old Parker as brother-and-sister without bothering to explain how such an apparent scientific miracle might have come to pass. Marshall wagers that by the time the ball drops and the film’s last melodramatic sequence has ended prior transgressions will be absolved and moviegoers will be content to bask in New Year's Eve's artificial glow. The gambit worked for Valentine's Day; this time he may not be so fortunate.

The first and most important thing you should know about Paramount Pictures’ Thor is that it’s not a laughably corny comic book adaptation. Though you might find it hokey to hear a bunch of muscled heroes talk like British royalty while walking around the American Southwest in LARP garb director Kenneth Branagh has condensed vast Marvel mythology to make an accessible straightforward fantasy epic. Like most films of its ilk I’ve got some issues with its internal logic aesthetic and dialogue but the flaws didn’t keep me from having fun with this extra dimensional adventure.
Taking notes from fellow Avenger Iron Man the story begins with an enthralling event that takes place in a remote desert but quickly jumps back in time to tell the prologue which introduces the audience to the shining kingdom of Asgard and its various champions. Thor (Chris Hemsworth) son of Odin is heir to the throne but is an arrogant overeager and ill-tempered rogue whose aggressive antics threaten a shaky truce between his people and the frost giants of Jotunheim one of the universe’s many realms. Odin (played with aristocratic boldness by Anthony Hopkins) enraged by his son’s blatant disregard of his orders to forgo an assault on their enemies after they attempt to reclaim a powerful artifact banishes the boy to a life among the mortals of Earth leaving Asgard defenseless against the treachery of Loki his mischievous “other son” who’s always felt inferior to Thor. Powerless and confused the disgraced Prince finds unlikely allies in a trio of scientists (Natalie Portman Stellan Skarsgard and Kat Dennings) who help him reclaim his former glory and defend our world from total destruction.
Individually the make-up visual effects CGI production design and art direction are all wondrous to behold but when fused together to create larger-than-life set pieces and action sequences the collaborative result is often unharmonious. I’m not knocking the 3D presentation; unlike 2010’s genre counterpart Clash of the Titans the filmmakers had plenty of time to perfect the third dimension and there are only a few moments that make the decision to convert look like it was a bad one. It’s the unavoidable overload of visual trickery that’s to blame for the frost giants’ icy weaponized constructs and other hybrids of the production looking noticeably artificial. Though there’s some imagery to nitpick the same can’t be said of Thor’s thunderous sound design which is amped with enough wattage to power The Avengers’ headquarters for a century.
Chock full of nods to the comics the screenplay is both a strength and weakness for the film. The story is well sequenced giving the audience enough time between action scenes to grasp the characters motivations and the plot but there are tangential narrative threads that disrupt the focus of the film. Chief amongst them is the frost giants’ fore mentioned relic which is given lots of attention in the first act but has little effect on the outcome. In addition I felt that S.H.I.E.L.D. was nearly irrelevant this time around; other than introducing Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye the secret security faction just gets in the way of the movie’s momentum.
While most of the comedy crashes and burns there are a few laughs to be found in the film. Most come from star Hemsworth’s charismatic portrayal of the God of Thunder. He plays up the stranger-in-a-strange-land aspect of the story with his cavalier but charming attitude and by breaking all rules of diner etiquette in a particularly funny scene with the scientists whose respective roles as love interest (Portman) friendly father figure (Skarsgaard) and POV character (Dennings) are ripped right out of a screenwriters handbook.
Though he handles the humorous moments without a problem Hemsworth struggles with some of the more dramatic scenes in the movie; the result of over-acting and too much time spent on the Australian soap opera Home and Away. Luckily he’s surrounded by a stellar supporting cast that fills the void. Most impressive is Tom Hiddleston who gives a truly humanistic performance as the jealous Loki. His arc steeped in Shakespearean tragedy (like Thor’s) drums up genuine sympathy that one rarely has for a comic book movie villain.
My grievances with the technical aspects of the production aside Branagh has succeeded in further exploring the Marvel Universe with a film that works both as a standalone superhero flick and as the next chapter in the story of The Avengers. Thor is very much a comic book film and doesn’t hide from the reputation that its predecessors have given the sub-genre or the tropes that define it. Balanced pretty evenly between “serious” and “silly ” its scope is large enough to please fans well versed in the source material but its tone is light enough to make it a mainstream hit.

The royal drama, about stuttering British monarch George VI, led the competition with 12 nominations going into this year's (11) Oscars, and edged out the likes of Black Swan, The Fighter, Inception and The Social Network to claim the most coveted title of the night.
Firth was crowned Best Actor in a Leading Role, emerging triumphant over Javier Bardem (Biutiful), Jeff Bridges (True Grit), Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network) and James Franco (127 Hours).
Filmmaker Tom Hooper also basked in Oscar glory as he was hailed Best Director, beating Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan), David O. Russell (The Fighter), David Fincher (The Social Network) and Joel and Ethan Coen (True Grit).
Pregnant Natalie Portman fought back tears as she walked away with Best Actress in a Leading Role for her portrayal of a tormented ballet dancer in Black Swan, ahead of Annette Bening (The Kids Are All Right), Nicole Kidman (Rabbit Hole), Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone) and Michelle Williams (Blue Valentine).
She gave special thanks to her Black Swan choreographer and fiance Benjamin Millepied, telling the audience, "So many people helped me prepare for this role... my beautiful love, Benjamin Millepied who choreographed the film and has now given me the most important role of my life."
It was also a golden night for The Fighter, about tough Boston, Massachusetts boxing legends Mickey Ward and Dickie Eklund, as Christian Bale and Melissa Leo dominated the Best Supporting categories.
Meanwhile, moviemaker Francis Ford Coppola, actor Eli Wallach and historian Kevin Brownlow were given a standing ovation in recognition of the lifetime achievement honours they received at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Governors Awards in November (10). Fellow honouree Jean-Luc Godard did not attend the ceremony.
Oscars co-hosts Anne Hathaway and James Franco opened the 2011 Academy Awards with a hilarious spoof poking fun at the Best Picture nominees, while 2010 presenter Alec Baldwin and Morgan Freeman also made surprise appearances in the skit.
Gwyneth Paltrow, Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi, Randy Newman, and Florence Welch and A.R. Rahman provided the music for the night as they performed the tracks nominated for Best Original Song.
And Celine Dion took to the Kodak Theatre stage in Los Angeles to sing Smile during the ceremony's annual In Memorium segment, remembering the stars lost in the past 12 months, including Tony Curtis, Leslie Nielsen, Dennis Hopper, Pete Postlethwaite and Gloria Stuart.
The complete list of winners at the 83rd Annual Academy Awards is as follows:
Best Picture:
The King's Speech
Best Actor in a Leading Role:
Colin Firth, The King's Speech
Best Actress in a Leading Role:
Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Best Actor in a Supporting Role:
Christian Bale, The Fighter
Best Actress in a Supporting Role:
Melissa Leo, The Fighter
Best Director:
Tom Hooper, The King's Speech
Best Screenplay - Adapted:
Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network
Best Screenplay - Original:
David Seidler, The King's Speech
Best Foreign Language Film:
In a Better World (Denmark)
Best Animated Feature:
Toy Story 3
Best Documentary (Feature):
Inside Job
Best Art Direction:
Robert Stromberg and Karen O'Hara, Alice In Wonderland
Best Cinematography:
Wally Pfister, Inception
Best Sound Mixing:
Lora Hirschberg, Gary A. Rizzo and Ed Novick, Inception
Best Sound Editing:
Richard King, Inception
Best Original Score:
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, The Social Network
Best Original Song:
We Belong Together from Toy Story 3, Randy Newman
Best Costume:
Colleen Atwood, Alice in Wonderland
Best Documentary (Short Subject):
Strangers No More
Best Film Editing:
The Social Network
Best Make-up:
The Wolfman
Best Animated Short Film:
The Lost Thing
Best Live Action Short Film:
God of Love
Best Visual Effects:
Inception.

It was a dino-might box office weekend driven by explosive openings for Jurassic Park III and America's Sweethearts.
Between them, Universal and Amblin's JP III and Revolution Studios and Columbia's Sweethearts grossed an extra sweet $81 million-plus. Distribution sources said Sunday morning that it set a record as the biggest combined total ever for two openings. They added, however, that combined total for Pearl Harbor's opening weekend and Shrek's second weekend for the three day weekend portion of this year's four day Memorial Day holiday period was an even larger $101.6 million.
Driven by the twin blockbuster openings, ticket sales reversed their recent downward pattern versus last year. Key films grossed nearly $140 million, up over 5 percent from this time a year ago.
The PG-13 rated action adventure fantasy sequel JP III kicked off to a sizzling ESTIMATED $50.27 million at 3,434 theaters ($14,640 per theater). Its cume after five days is approximately $80.9 million.
JP III is Universal's third high profile box office success story this summer. The studio began the summer season in early May with The Mummy Returns, which has grossed nearly $201 million after 12 weeks in theaters. The studio's mid-summer sleeper hit The Fast and the Furious has now grossed $125 million after five weeks in theaters.
Directed by Joe Johnston, JP III stars Sam Neill, William H Macy, Tea Leoni, Alessandro Nivola, Trevor Morgan, Michael Jeter, John Diehl and Bruce A. Young.
JP III's average per theater was the highest for any film playing in wide release this weekend.
"It's extraordinary," Universal distribution president Nikki Rocco said Sunday morning. "Coming off of the Wednesday opening (of $19 million), everybody was surprised. Now that the weekend results are almost in, I think everybody continues to be surprised.
"It would have been a normal expectation for the picture to be flat between Friday and Saturday, but once again there's no way of reading this business. We did a lot of business and were up 24 percent on Saturday night. It's playing very broad, is what it means. All of my people that went to check theaters yesterday -- which we do when we have films like this in the marketplace to make sure we're in the right screens -- at one o'clock in the afternoon the big screens were (already) three-quarters filled in the megaplexes and with families."
Rocco also pointed to anecdotal evidence that JP III is already generating repeat business. "We had a theater manager that got some complaints from parents," she explained. "But you'll never guess what the complaints were -- the kids behind them kept on saying what the next scene was going to be because they'd seen it already!"
With nearly $81 million already in hand, where does it go? While it's clearly going to be huge, it's too early now to say how huge. "No one knows," Rocco observed.
It also was an outstanding weekend for Revolution Studios and Columbia Pictures' PG-13 rated romantic comedy America's Sweethearts, which opened in second place to a very engaging ESTIMATED $31.0 million at 3,011 theaters ($10,296 per theater).
Directed by Joe Roth, it stars Julia Roberts, Billy Crystal, Catherine Zeta-Jones and John Cusack.
"We're delighted. Those are all boxcar numbers in the world of romantic comedies," Sony Pictures Entertainment worldwide marketing &amp; distribution president Jeff Blake said Sunday morning. "You look at films like Runaway Bride on July 30, 1999 with $35.0 million and a $152 million total (in domestic theaters). That was the biggest romantic comedy opening ever. In the world of romantic comedies, you've got Runaway Bride as the biggest and then What Women Want on Dec. 15, 2000 with $33.6 million and (a domestic theatrical) cume of $183 million.
"And we don't have to take a back seat after that to anybody. You've got Notting Hill, which opened May 28, 1999 to $27.6 million on a four day Memorial Day (holiday) weekend and (wound up doing) $116 million. You've got You've Got Mail, which opened Dec. 18, 1998 to $18.4 million and did $115 million. Certainly, as you go further back there's a great indication of romantic comedies that opened in the mid-to-high teens (in millions) and all went and did over $100 million -- like Jerry Maguire ($153.6 million) and Sleepless in Seattle ($126.7 million) and things like that."
Focusing on the huge combined business for JP III and Sweethearts, Blake observed, "It's certainly great for Jurassic Park and their franchise and it's great for us and what we're trying to do. And it's great for the market. This looks like a $140 million weekend and we're even up from last year. It had been going in the other direction (in terms of weekends being down from 2000), so I think this certainly revitalized the summer with two openings of this magnitude and, hopefully, it will be a great second half (of the summer)."
Blake pointed out that, "The hard part is to get a romantic comedy out there in a big way right from Day One. They certainly have -- better than any other genre -- a great track record of holding. That always has been the game plan. To get it open to as good a number as we could versus (what is) certainly different competition, but huge competition as turned out to be the case, and to be that summer movie that's going to hold for a while. I think the genre allows that and all indications are that that's what will happen to us here."
Asked who was on hand opening weekend to see Sweethearts, Blake replied, "We got our initial exit polls and it looks like about 55%-45% women to men. So slightly more women, but really a traditional date movie for the most part. It looks like about the same 55%-45% adults to younger people, using 25 as the cut-off. Certainly we've got something here for the first time this summer -- or one of the only pictures this summer -- that appeals to adults. But it also got the younger contingent, as well. Every indication is that it's playing great."
Looking ahead, Blake pointed out, "If you look at the competition coming up it's all big, but pretty male -- Planet of the Apes and Rush Hour 2, in particular. So I think we're in a very good spot. It's unusual for two pictures to open north of $30 million on the same weekend. I know it happened with The World Is Not Enough and Sleepy Hollow, but it's hard to think of many other examples where pictures got out there in as big a way as this."
While Bride still ranks as Roberts' biggest opening ever, Sweethearts' $31 million launch goes into the record books as her second biggest opening. It overtakes Erin Brockovich, which arrived to $28.1 million on Mar. 17, 2000 and went on to gross $125.5 million in domestic theaters.
In the face of the weekend's two blockbuster arrivals, MGM's PG-13 rated comedy hit Legally Blonde fell two pegs to third place in its second week with a still sexy ESTIMATED $11.05 million (-46%) at 2,695 theaters (+75 theaters; $4,100 per theater). Its cume is approximately $43.4 million, heading for $70-75 million in domestic theaters.
Directed by Robert Luketic, the Marc Platt production stars Reese Witherspoon, Luke Wilson, Selma Blair, Matthew Davis, Victor Garber and Jennifer Coolidge with a special appearance by Raquel Welch.
"It held up great during the week and even held up well on Wednesday against the massive opening of Jurassic Park III," MGM worldwide theatrical marketing and distribution president Bob Levin said Sunday morning.
"As we look now at what happened this weekend, I think given the (blockbuster) opening of Jurassic Park III and the right on demographic target opening of America's Sweethearts, this kind of drop is totally acceptable and gives us a good feeling that we won't see anything this significant (in terms of a drop) in the future and that we'll be holding up pretty well."
Paramount's R rated crime drama The Score slid two rungs to fourth place in its second week with an okay ESTIMATED $10.75 million (-43%) at 2,160 theaters (+31 theaters; $4,977 per theater). Its cume is approximately $37.2 million.
Directed by Frank Oz, it stars Robert De Niro, Edward Norton, Angela Bassett and Marlon Brando.
Cats &amp; Dogs, the PG rated family appeal comedy from Warner Bros., Village Roadshow Pictures and NPV Entertainment dropped two notches to fifth place in its third week, still showing its teeth with an ESTIMATED $6.77 million (-44%) at 3,040 theaters (theater count unchanged; $2,227 per theater). Its cume is approximately $72.4 million, heading for $100 million in domestic theaters.
"The picture performs like the weather report. It rained in the Miami area and the Jacksonville area and we were up 58 percent (on Saturday) from Friday. In Boston the weather was still fantastic and we were up (only) 19 percent," Warner Bros. Distribution president Dan Fellman said Sunday morning. "That's what happens with this movie. It's going to be around a very long time. Families like it. Kids like it. We're doing repeat business. It'll play a long time. There's nothing coming in that's going to hurt us."
Universal's PG-13 action drama The Fast and the Furious fell two laps to sixth place in its fifth week, still showing good legs with an ESTIMATED $5.26 million (-35%) at 2,744 theaters (-155 theaters; $1,915 per theater). Fast, which cost a modest $38 million, has a cume of approximately $125.0 million.
Directed by Rob Cohen and produced by Neal H. Moritz, it stars Paul Walker, Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster.
20th Century Fox and Davis Entertainment's PG rated comedy sequel Dr. Dolittle 2, which was seventh last week, tied for seventh place in its fifth week with a quiet ESTIMATED $4.4 million (-42%) at 2,444 theaters (-385 theaters; $1,780 per theater). Its cume is approximately $93.2 million, heading for $100 million in domestic theaters.
Directed by Steve Carr and produced by John Davis, it stars Eddie Murphy.
Dimension Films' R rated horror film spoof sequel Scary Movie 2, which was fifth last week, tied for seventh place in its third week with a mellow ESTIMATED $4.4 million (-54%) at 2,802 theaters (-418 theaters; $1,570 per theater). Its cume is approximately $61.7 million, heading for $70 million in domestic theaters.
Directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans, it stars Shawn Wayans, Marlon Wayans, Anna Faris, Regina Hall, Christopher Masterson and Kathleen Robertson.
Columbia's release of Square Pictures' PG-13 rated computer animated sci-fi fantasy adventure Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within plunged five slots to ninth place in its second week with a dull ESTIMATED $3.5 million (-69%) at 2,649 theaters (theater count unchanged; $1,321 per theater). Its cume is approximately $26.7 million.
Square financed the film's production costs, which reportedly were about $115 million. For Sony Fantasy represents a distribution deal with Columbia in only for marketing and distribution costs.
Rounding out the Top Ten was 20th Century Fox's R rated action drama Kiss of the Dragon, down two rungs in its third week with a cold ESTIMATED $2.86 million (-52%) at 1,658 theaters (-442 theaters; $1,726 per theater). Its cume is approximately $29.6 million.
Directed by Chris Nahon, it stars Jet Li and Bridget Fonda.
OTHER OPENINGS
This weekend also saw the arrival of Fine Line Features' R rated rock musical drama Hedwig and the Angry Inch to a very encouraging ESTIMATED $0.15 million at 9 theaters ($17,001 per theater).
Directed by John Cameron Mitchell, who also wrote and adapted his hit Off-Broadway play to the screen, Hedwig stars Mitchell in its title role.
MGM's release of United Artists' R rated youth appeal comedy Ghost World materialized to a spirited ESTIMATED $0.1 million at 5 theaters ($20,174 per theater) in New York (two theaters), Los Angeles (two theaters) and Seattle (one theater).
Directed by Terry Swigoff, it stars Thora Birch, Scarlett Johansson, Brad Renfro, Illeana Douglas and Steve Buscemi.
"We have the highest screen average this week, which is great," MGM's Bob Levin said Sunday morning. "And looking back, it's a higher screen average over (hit specialized film) openings like Run Lola Run, Mighty Aphrodite, Hilary and Jackie or You Can Count On Me. We hold for a week and then expand into seven additional markets on Aug. 3. Based on this performance, I think we'll also be expanding within these first three markets.
SNEAK PREVIEWS
There were no national sneak previews this weekend.
EXPANSIONS
On the expansion front, this weekend saw Fox Searchlight's R rated critically acclaimed British crime thriller Sexy Beast continue to widen in its sixth week, still showing good legs with an ESTIMATED $0.39 million (-22%) at 189 theaters (+10 theaters; $2,075 per theater). Its cume is approximately $4.5 million.
Directed by Jonathan Glazer, it stars Ray Winstone and Ben Kingsley.
"I think we're going to end up with probably around $5.5-$6.0 million," Fox Searchlight distribution president Steven Gilula said Sunday morning. "We'll be real pleased with that. Right now, we're the third strongest limited release for the year after Memento and Amores Perros. I think we'll get past Amores Perros and be number two. And then it's a question of all these new (specialized) films and which ones will expand out and be able to penetrate the market. There's a lot of independent product opening now."
Miramax's R rated French comedy The Closet went wider in its fourth week with a still promising ESTIMATED $0.34 million (+8%) at 65 theaters (+22 theaters; $5,153 per theater). Its cume is approximately $1.3 million.
Directed by Francis Veber, it stars Daniel Auteuil, Gerard Depardieu, Thierry Lhermitte and Michele Laroque.
Artisan's R rated comedy Made expanded in its second week with an encouraging ESTIMATED $0.27 million at 19 theaters (+16 theaters; $13,947 per theater). Its cume is approximately $0.5 million.
Written and directed by Jon Favreau, it stars Jon Favreau, Vince Vaughn, Sean Combs, Famke Janssen, Faizon Love and Peter Falk.
Fine Line Features' R rated comedy The Anniversary Party went wider in its seventh week with a quiet ESTIMATED $0.17 million (-36%) at 120 theaters (+2 theaters; $1,405 per theater). Its cume is approximately $3.3 million.
Written/directed by and starring Alan Cumming and Jennifer Jason Leigh, its ensemble cast includes Jane Adams, Phoebe Cates, Kevin Kline, , Gwyneth Paltrow, Parker Posey and John C Reilly.
Lions Gate Films' PG-13 rated drama Songcatcher continued to widen in its sixth week with a weak ESTIMATED $0.16 million (-15%) at 91 theaters (+19 theaters; $1,800 per theater). Its cume is approximately $1.2 million.
Directed by Maggie Greenwald, it stars Janet McTeer and Aidan Quinn.
Lions Gate Films' unrated erotic drama Lost and Delirious widened in its third week with a slow ESTIMATED $0.037 million at 18 theaters (+10 theaters; $2,050 per theater). Its cume is approximately $0.14 million.
Directed by Lea Pool, it stars Piper Perabo.
Miramax's R rated comedy Everybody's Famous added a theater in its third week with a dull ESTIMATED $0.01 million at 11 theaters (+1 theater; $918 per theater). Its cume is approximately $0.075 million.
Written and directed by Dominique Deruddere, it stars Josse De Pauw.
WEEKEND COMPARISONS
Key films -- those grossing more than $500,000 -- took in approximately $139.68 million, up about 5.37% from the comparable weekend last year when key films grossed $132.55 million.
This weekend's key film gross was up about 19.6% from last weekend this year when key films took in $116.78 million.
Last year, DreamWorks' opening week of What Lies Beneath was first with $29.70 million at 2,813 theaters ($10,559 per theater); and Fox's second week of X-Men was second with $23.47 million at 3,112 theaters ($7,541 per theater). The top two films one year ago grossed $53.2 million. This year, the top two films grossed an ESTIMATED $81.3 million.
# # #

Cats and Dogs reigned at the box office, fetching $21.6 million in ticket sales for Warner Bros.
Also driving the post-July Fourth weekend were high impact arrivals for Dimension Films' Scary Movie 2 and 20th Century Fox's Kiss of the Dragon and very encouraging sneaks for MGM's Legally Blonde.
The PG rated family appeal comedy Cats and Dogs from Warner Bros., Village Roadshow Pictures and NPV Entertainment, combining live action with animation and special effects, captured first place with a purr-fectly beautiful ESTIMATED $21.6 million at 3,040 theaters ($7,240 per theater). Its cume after five days is approximately $35.7 million.
Cats opened Wednesday (July Fourth) with a slim lead over the holiday's other new wide release, the R rated Scary Movie 2 from Miramax's Dimension Films label. Both films benefited from widespread rain across the United States on July Fourth with Cats doing $9.02 million and Scary Movie 2scaring up $8.75 million. On Thursday, July 5 Scary Movie 2 took in $5.26 million while Cats grossed $5.03 million.
Cats' average per theater was the highest for any film playing in wide release this weekend.
"The great thing about Cats and Dogs is that it's been playing so well for family audiences," Warner Bros. Distribution president Dan Fellman said Sunday morning. "We're going to be around for a long time. You know, with all the movies coming in, there's really nothing for the young kids."
Focusing on Cats' first five days business, Fellman noted, "This gross beats the first seven days of Space Jam, which grossed $32 million for the week. That's been our largest Warner family film in our company's history. That went on to do $90 million (in domestic theaters). Just trying to look at something similar, Stuart Little, it grossed $27 million its whole first week. That went on to do $139 million (domestically). So I think we have a really good chance of exceeding the $100 million mark since we had such a great start.
"I assume we're going to do at least $40 million for the first week. And we have all this summer play time. We opened Space Jam at Thanksgiving so it didn't have the benefit of having a Saturday every single day (the way summer releases do)."
Dimension Films launched its R rated horror film spoof sequel Scary Movie 2 in second place with a killer ESTIMATED $21.0 million at 3,220 theaters ($6,521 per theater). Its cume after five days is approximately $34.5 million.
Directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans, it stars Shawn Wayans, Marlon Wayans, Anna Faris, Regina Hall, Chris Masterson and Kathleen Robertson.
The original Scary Movie opened last July 9 to $42.35 million at 2,912 theaters ($14,542 per theater). It cost about $19 million to produce and went on to gross about $157 million in domestic theaters.
"We're very happy with the opening," Miramax senior vice president, marketing David Kaminow said Sunday morning. "It's good enough that Bob (Weinstein, co-chairman of Miramax and head of the Dimension label) this morning is already talking about, maybe, another sequel. With this kind of opening we might see Scary Movie 3.
"Scary Movie 2 is poised to be the third highest week in the history of the company (after) Scary Movie and Scream 3. Obviously, from that we're very, very happy from a corporate standpoint. With $34.5 million in five days -- the budget was in the mid-$40 millions roughly -- we're in really good shape here."
Who was on hand this weekend? "Demographically it was pretty even male-female," Kaminow replied. "African-American audiences are really responding very, very well to the film. We think the play there is going to be long. And 18 to 24 is the solid core group, (which) is not surprising. The African-American (exit) scores were above average -- the Top Two Boxes in the 80 percents and the Definite Recommend in the low 80 percents as well, which is a great place to be.
Warner Bros. and DreamWorks' PG-13 rated sci-fi fantasy adventure A.I. Artificial Intelligence slid two pegs to third place in its second week with a quieter ESTIMATED $14.15 million (-52 percent) at 3,242 theaters (theater count unchanged; $4,363 per theater). Its cume is approximately $59.7 million.
Written and directed by Steven Spielberg, it was produced by Kathleen Kennedy, Spielbergand Bonnie Curtis. Starring are Haley Joel Osment, Jude Law, Frances O'Connor, Brendan Gleeson and William Hurt.
"A.I. continues the pattern of other huge films that opened this summer," Warners' Dan Fellman said. "Fast and the Furious dropped 50 percent (its second weekend) and Tomb Raider dropped 59 percent. And both movies have already exceeded $100 million at the box office. I think we'll settle in and we'll play fine. We needed to settle in this week. We'll just continue to play. There's still a tremendous amount of interest in the movie and people are continuing to talk about it. We have our adult audience and they'll continue to drive the movie for quite a while."
20th Century Fox's R rated action drama Kiss of the Dragon kicked off in fourth place with a muscular ESTIMATED $13.64 million at 2,025 theaters ($6,736 per theater).
Directed by Chris Nahon, it stars Jet Li and Bridget Fonda.
"We're very pleased with it," Fox distribution president Bruce Snyder said Sunday morning. "It's in the area where we were hoping to be."
Noting that it's an extremely competitive marketplace, Snyder added, "It's even hard to figure out how much of a holiday or non-holiday this weekend was, the way the Fourth fell. But it looks like a real solid weekend. We've got six movies doing over $10 million this weekend."
Universal's PG-13 action drama The Fast and the Furious fell three rungs to fifth place in its third week with a slower ESTIMATED $12.4 million (-38 percent) at 2,804 theaters (+81 theaters; $4,405 per theater). Fast, which cost a modest $38 million, has a cume of approximately $101.5 million.
Directed by Rob Cohen and produced by Neal H. Moritz, it stars Paul Walker, Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster.
20th Century Fox and Davis Entertainment's PG rated comedy sequel Dr. Dolittle 2 dropped three notches to sixth place in its third week with a less funny ESTIMATED $10.1 million (-36 percent) at 3,022 theaters (-31 theaters; $3,342 per theater). Its cume is approximately $71.5 million, heading for $100-105 million in domestic theaters.
Directed by Steve Carr and produced by John Davis, it stars Eddie Murphy.
Paramount and Mutual Film Company's PG-13 rated action adventure Lara Croft: Tomb Raider slipped three slots in its fourth week with a weaker ESTIMATED $6.8 million (-33 percent) at 3,010 theaters (-339 theaters; $2,259 per theater). Its cume is approximately $115.6 million, heading for $130 million in domestic theaters.
Directed by Simon West, Tomb stars Angelina Jolie.
DreamWorks' PG rated computer animated blockbuster Shrek dropped one rung to eighth place in its eighth week, still holding well with an ESTIMATED $6.0 million (-22 percent) at 2,107 theaters (-597 theaters; $2,855 per theater). Its cume is approximately $240.6 million heading for $250 million-plus in domestic theaters.
Directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, its voice talents include Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz and John Lithgow.
Buena Vista/Disney's PG rated animated feature Atlantis fell three pegs in its fifth week to ninth place with a less turbulent ESTIMATED $5.0 million (-39 percent) at 2,272 theaters (-758 theaters; $2,201 per theater). Its cume is approximately $69.4 million.
Directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise, its voice talents include Michael J Fox, James Garner, Cree Summer and Leonard Nimoy.
Rounding out the Top Ten was Columbia's R rated African-American appeal drama Baby Boy, down five pegs in its second week and packing less punch with an ESTIMATED $4.8 million (-44 percent) at 1,533 theaters (theater count unchanged; $3,131 per theater). Made for about $16 million, its cume is approximately $20.8 million, heading for a profitable $30 million in domestic theaters.
Written, produced and directed by John Singleton, it stars Tyrese Gibson, Snoop Dogg and Ving Rhames.
This weekend also saw Lions Gate Films' unrated erotic drama Lost and Delirious arrive to a not very arousing ESTIMATED $0.045 million at 7 theaters ($6,440 per theater).
Directed by Lea Pool, it stars Piper Perabo.
Miramax's R rated comedy Everybody's Famous opened to a quiet ESTIMATED $0.017 million at 4 theaters ($4,250 per theater).
Written and directed by Dominique Deruddere, it stars Josse De Pauw.
"That goes to about 10 runs on Friday," Miramax's David Kaminow said.
This weekend saw MGM hold very encouraging sneak previews Friday night at about 818 theaters of its PG-13 rated comedy Legally Blonde.
Directed by Robert Luketic, the Marc Platt production stars Reese Witherspoon, Luke Wilson, Selma Blair, Matthew Davis, Victor Garber and Jennifer Coolidge with a special appearance by Raquel Welch. Produced by Platt and Ric Kidney, its screenplay by Karen McCullah Lutz &amp; Kirsten Smith is based on the book by Amanda Brown.
Blonde will open Friday at over 2,000 theaters.
MGM said Blonde was sneaked in 101 markets, playing to 75 percent of capacity and that 50 percent of its showings were sold out. Those on hand for the sneaks were 25 percent under the age of 18 and 45 percent between 18 and 25. Women accounted for about two-thirds of the ticket sales.
"It was really a very, very good sneak," MGM marketing and distribution president Bob Levin said Sunday morning. "Very strong. In the exits we do, we've got close to 90 percent in the Top Two Boxes (excellent and very good) and a very strong over-75 percent Definite Recommend. Those are the kind of numbers you really hope you get in sneaks because you're trying to drive word of mouth and those are the kind of numbers you need to drive word of mouth. So we're very pleased."
Levin, a well regarded industry veteran who previously headed marketing at Sony Pictures Entertainment and Disney, joined MGM in late June as the studio's distribution and marketing chief.
Asked how the idea of sneaking Blonde came about, Levin explained, "What happened is we had a great reaction to the film at the premiere (held on June 26) and it was one of the exhibitors who happened to mention it to one of our distribution executives and it seemed like a great idea. So we immediately decided to adopt it (and thought) we should sneak it. This is the perfect kind of movie to sneak, where you aren't being driven by a huge potential fixed marketing opening but you have a movie that really plays well. So why not sneak it?"
Who is the target audience for Blonde? "Well, certainly more female than male," Levin replied. "But we have found in the exits we've done that actually guys like the movie as well, but it has to be (regarded as) slightly more female than male. What has been shown through these sneaks is that the actual likeability of the film is across a broad spectrum -- from even pre-teens all the way through what we categorize as older women (those 30 and older)."
Although the marketplace is crowded with product, there's really nothing like Blonde in theaters now. "I think that's why we have a tremendous opportunity," Levin observed. "And that's why the sneaks made sense because we get to advance the word of mouth. This kind of response that these numbers suggest is the response you get where people show up Monday at work or school or camp or wherever they are and really talk about the movie. So it's great on that kind of basis. I think, hopefully, we really do have sort of a unique offering in the marketplace right now."
Blonde marks the start of what could be a strong second half of the year for MGM. "I think we're about ready to, hopefully, do some very good business through the end of the year on a number of different films," Levin noted.
Among the releases upcoming via MGM are the suspense thriller Original Sin, directed by Michael Christofre and starring Angelina Jolie and Antonio Banderas, and the horror genre film Jeepers Creepers, directed by Victor Salva and starring Gina Philips, both opening in August.
Arriving in September is the drama Deuces Wild, directed by Scott Kalvert and starring Fairuza Balk, Stephen Dorff and Matt Dillon.
October will bring Bandits, directed by Barry Levinson and starring Bruce Willis, Cate Blanchett and Billy Bob Thornton, and Killing Me Softly, directed by Chen Kaige and starring Heather Graham and Joseph Fiennes.
In November MGM has the action adventure Windtalkers, directed by John Woo and starring Nicolas Cage, Adam Beach and Christian Slater.
The studio's action adventure fantasy Rollerball, directed by John McTiernan and starring Chris Klein, L.L. Cool J and Jean Reno, was recently moved from August to early next year.
On the expansion front, this weekend saw Fox Searchlight's R rated critically acclaimed British crime thriller Sexy Beast continue to widen in its fourth week, still showing good legs with an ESTIMATED $0.71 million (even) at 134 theaters (+25 theaters; $5,325 per theater). Its cume is approximately $3.1 million.
Directed by Jonathan Glazer, it stars Ray Winstone and Ben Kingsley.
"We feel very good," Fox Searchlight distribution president Stephen Gilula said Sunday morning. "We opened a lot of new smaller markets that did quite well. In the fourth week, we're holding extremely well and we're quite pleased. The film seems to be settling in and getting good word of mouth. The holdovers still did quite nicely. The holdovers fell less than 20 percent, so we're very pleased with that."
Where does it go from here? "Well, this week we add another round of theaters," Gilula replied. "We're going to add 30 screens and go into another 20 markets or so, a bunch of smaller cities (like) Albuquerque, Pittsburgh, Boise, Buffalo and we'll just keep going. As long as the momentum continues, we'll just keep expanding every week. We'll probably get up to, I would think, around 200 runs. Some of the smaller runs will come off, but we'll just keep moving the prints around the country."
With its cume now at about $3.1 million, Gilula said, "We're clearly going to get past $5 million, which for this film will be very successful for us. It's already a financial success for us. My estimate goes up a little each week because of how well the runs are holding in the big cities."
Fine Line Features' R rated comedy The Anniversary Party went a little wider in its fifth week with a still bubbly ESTIMATED $0.45 million (+9 percent) at 107 theaters (+4 theaters; $4,245 per theater). Its cume is approximately $2.6 million.
Written and directed by Alan Cumming and Jennifer Jason Leigh, its ensemble cast includes Jane Adams, Jennifer Beals, Phoebe Cates, Alan Cumming, Kevin Kline, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Gwyneth Paltrow, Parker Posey and John C. Reilly.
Lions Gate Films' PG-13 rated drama Songcatcher continued to widen in its fourth week with a dull ESTIMATED $0.25 million at 67 theaters (+30 theaters; $3,690 per theater). Its cume is approximately $0.61 million.
Directed by Maggie Greenwald, it stars Janet McTeer and Aidan Quinn.
Miramax's R rated French comedy The Closet went wider in its second week with a still promising ESTIMATED $0.21 million at 16 theaters (+12 theaters; $13,043 per theater). Its cume is approximately $0.38 million.
Directed by Francis Veber, it stars Daniel Auteuil, Gerard Depardieu, Thierry Lhermitte and Michele Laroque.
"This Friday it will probably expand to about 30 to 40 runs," Miramax's David Kaminow said.
Key films -- those grossing more than $500,000 -- took in approximately $129.3 million, down about 6.45 percent from the comparable weekend last year when key films grossed $138.2 million.
This weekend's key film gross was up about 5.42 percent from last weekend this year when key films took in $122.65 million.
Last year, Dimension Films' opening week of Scary Movie was first with $42.35 million at 2,912 theaters ($14,542 per theater); and Warner Bros.' second week of The Perfect Storm was second with $27.12 million at 3,407 theaters ($7,960 per theater).The top two films one year ago grossed $69.4 million. This year, the top two films grossed an ESTIMATED $43.0 million.

MGM's Legally Blonde had the most fun at this weekend's box office, winning a record setting $20 million-plus verdict from moviegoers.
The PG-13 comedy's opening -- MGM's third number one launch this year after Hannibal and Heartbreakers -- generated an energetic ESTIMATED $20.4 million at 2,620 theaters ($7,767 per theater).
Directed by Robert Luketic, the Marc Platt production stars Reese Witherspoon, Luke Wilson, Selma Blair, Matthew Davis, Victor Garber and Jennifer Coolidge with a special appearance by Raquel Welch.
"In every measure, it's a great opening for MGM," MGM worldwide theatrical marketing and distribution president Bob Levin said Sunday morning. "It's MGM's fifth biggest opening of all time, the second biggest non-Bond opening, the biggest non-sequel opening and, of course, the (studio's) biggest comedy opening ever (after The Birdcage, which opened to $18.28 million the weekend of Mar. 8-10, 1996 at 1,950 theaters, averaging $9,372 per theater). So it's a great thing for MGM."
Pointing to comparisons that reviewers have made between Blonde and Paramount's 1995 youth appeal comedy hit Clueless, Levin noted that Blonde opened to about twice the gross that Clueless arrived to back in '95 when ticket prices were a little lower. Clueless grossed $10.61 million the weekend of July 21-23, 1995 at 1,653 theaters, averaging $6,420 per theater. It went on to gross $56.6 million in domestic theaters.
"In the sleeper summer movie department," Levin said, "it's bigger than Bring It On opened to last summer (via Universal to $17.36 million the weekend of Aug. 25-27, 2000 at 2,380 theaters, averaging $7,295 per theater), which was considered last summer's big sleeper. And against this summer's movies, it's a great comedy opening. It's bigger than The Animal, which was considered a real good solid summer opening (from Revolution Studios and Columbia to $19.61 million the weekend of June 1-3 at 2,788 theaters, averaging $7,034 per theater). So we're really thrilled in all those comparisons."
Blonde, which MGM sneak previewed very successfully the previous weekend, opened considerably stronger than insiders with an eye on the Hollywood radar screen had anticipated.
"This $20 million was a number that showed up as a possibility early in the day on Friday," Levin explained, "but what none of us would say out loud (because it was) such a number beyond what everything we had collected as information suggested we could do. We were looking at, 'Well, maybe we could do $15 million if we really cooked.'
"The concern was, would the movie start to really slow down (where) you'd go into the 10 o'clock shows on Friday night and they'd be empty. That didn't happen. The movie's got a great under and over 21-year-old profile. And that's what really helped us. It didn't turn into just a little teenybopper kind of movie."
Looking at the studio's exit polls, Levin said, "There were more females certainly in the audience, but it plays to everybody and plays outrageously well to young females."
Asked how they liked it, Levin replied, that the overall audience total in the Top Two Boxes (excellent and very good) was about 85 percent. "Young females in their Top Two Boxes are a 95 percent," he said. "The older females Top Two Boxes are 85 percent (a lower score which is) to be expected. What's great is the young and older males are above norm. The young males are close to 75 percent and the older males are close to 75 percent. And the definite recommend (for) young females is close to 80 percent, older females are slightly over 70 percent and males (younger and older) are both right on 55 percent, which is the high end of the norm.
"Sometimes you get what looks like a female movie and the guys who show up just go, 'I was dragged here. I hate this movie.' And on the male movies, you get women who (feel the same way and) the guys love it and the females don't. This has tremendous potential for word of mouth with that kind of strength among the females and the males going, 'It's okay.' That's great."
Looking ahead, Levin said, "The biggest competition probably comes next weekend with (Revolution and Columbia's opening of) America's Sweethearts (the romantic comedy directed by Joe Roth and staring Julia Roberts, Billy Crystal, Catherine Zeta-Jones and John Cusack). We've got to get through that. But with this word of mouth, I think this is hopefully one of those (pictures) that not only sort of surprises people in the power of its opening, but gets a little battle resistant. It can survive the hits (from other films opening) and just keep on coming back."
Blonde points the way to a strong balance of the year for MGM. "I think we're looking to the future," Levin said. "This is really about the past being behind us and the future looking really good."
Paramount's R rated crime drama The Score kicked off in second place to a solid ESTIMATED $19.0 million at 2,129 theaters ($8,924 per theater).
Score's average per theater was the highest for any film playing in wide release this weekend.
Directed by Frank Oz, it stars Robert De Niro, Edward Norton, Angela Bassett and Marlon Brando.
"It's above our expectations here actually," Paramount distribution president Wayne Lewellen said Sunday morning. "$15-18 million was the tops that I had it (projected at). We exceeded where I thought we would be."
Looking ahead, Lewellen pointed out, "The picture plays very well, we know from past screenings. The fact that there's not a lot of 'intelligent adult movies' in the marketplace versus the popcorn movies that are out there (means that) it's got a chance to run a while."
Cats &amp; Dogs, the PG rated family appeal comedy from Warner Bros., Village Roadshow Pictures and NPV Entertainment fell two pegs to third place in its second weekend with a still lively ESTIMATED $12.0 million (-45%) at 3,040 theaters (theater count unchanged; $3,947 per theater). Its cume is approximately $58.9 million.
"Coming off a Fourth of July holiday opening, it's right where we want to be," Warner Bros. Distribution president Dan Fellman said Sunday morning.
"I think we're definitely going to make $100 million-plus (in domestic theaters). I'm looking at different comparisons out there. George of the Jungle opened in the summer and the first 12 days had $48 million in. So we've got 'em by $10-11 million. This picture plays like the weather report. A little nasty weather and, boom, the moms are taking those kids there in five minutes. They like it. So we'll be in great shape with it."
Also working in Cats' favor, Fellman said, is that "There's really nothing coming in (like it). We positioned this movie so we were the last young movie of the summer. The first one looked (like it would be) Shrek and, of course, Shrek took on a life of its own. It's starting to dwindle out. Of course, Atlantis is over now. So that just leaves Shrek and Cats &amp; Dogs. I don't think our (very young) audience is there for Jurassic Park III. Our movie's really (young kids who are) hand-holders. So we're a little bit in a zone of our own. I think we'll be around for quite a while."
Columbia's release of Square Pictures' PG-13 rated computer animated sci-fi fantasy adventure Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within arrived in fourth place to a less spirited than hoped for ESTIMATED $11.5 million at 2,649 theaters ($4,341 per theater). Its cume after five days is approximately $19.1 million.
"Clearly, we're disappointed especially off the expectations set by (having opened to) a $5 million Wednesday," Sony Pictures Entertainment worldwide marketing &amp; distribution president Jeff Blake said Sunday morning. "I think it was set up pretty well, but at the end of the day did not expand as you normally would expect off that kind of opening number. Obviously, there was some fan interest that crowded the theaters (on Wednesday) a little beyond what happened over the weekend. So I think we had a bit of an inflated Wednesday that set our expectations up a little higher than what we actually ended up doing, but we still did do $19 million for five days."
And with that $19 million already in, Blake said, "now you'd like to think it's going to continue to be sampled. As I look at some of the theater grosses, clearly there's the normal multiplexes, but there's also (some very strong situations). The East Side of New York did quite well because, I think, some of the pieces that have appeared (about the movie's special effects) in the New York Times and elsewhere have piqued curiosity beyond the usual core science-fiction audience. It clearly didn't play as a frenzied science-fiction choice, but it played pretty widely. Hopefully, that will allow it to last a little longer than what you'd usually expect (from) a science fiction property."
Sony has distribution worldwide except for Japan of Fantasy, which Square Pictures reportedly made for $115 million. "It is a distribution deal for us," Blake pointed out, explaining that Sony is "in for prints and ads. Our responsibility is the marketing and distribution costs."
Despite the disappointing domestic launch, Blake added, the film's international ticket sales are off to an encouraging start. "We had strong number one openings in Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong, the first three international markets we opened," he said. "So I still think this could be an important franchise around the world. The total story is not told (by the domestic opening)."
Dimension Films' R rated horror film spoof sequel Scary Movie 2 fell three notches to fifth place in its second week with a less scary ESTIMATED $9.5 million (-54%) at 3,220 theaters (theater count unchanged; $2,950 per theater). Its cume is approximately $52.9 million.
Directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans, it stars Shawn Wayans, Marlon Wayans, Anna Faris, Regina Hall, Christopher Masterson and Kathleen Robertson.
"I think (it should get domestically) to between $70-75 million," Miramax senior vice president, marketing David Kaminow said Sunday morning.
Universal's PG-13 action drama The Fast and the Furious fell one slot to sixth place in its fourth week with an okay ESTIMATED $7.88 million (-36%) at 2,904 theaters (+106 theaters; $2,715 per theater). Fast, which cost a modest $38 million, has a cume of approximately $115.4 million.
Directed by Rob Cohen and produced by Neal H. Moritz, it stars Paul Walker, Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster.
20th Century Fox and Davis Entertainment's PG rated comedy sequel Dr. Dolittle 2 dropped one rung to seventh place in its fourth week with a slower ESTIMATED $7.0 million (-33%) at 2,826 theaters (-202 theaters; $2,465 per theater). Its cume is approximately $84.3 million, heading for $100 million in domestic theaters.
Directed by Steve Carr and produced by John Davis, it stars Eddie Murphy.
20th Century Fox's R rated action drama Kiss of the Dragon slid four posts to eighth place in its second week with a dull ESTIMATED $5.82 million (-56%) at 2,100 theaters (+75 theaters; $2,770 per theater). Its cume is approximately $24.0 million.
Directed by Chris Nahon, it stars Jet Li and Bridget Fonda.
Warner Bros. and DreamWorks' PG-13 rated sci-fi fantasy adventure A.I. Artificial Intelligence plunged six pegs to ninth place in its third week with a quiet ESTIMATED $5.13 million (-63%) at 2,830 theaters (-412 theaters; $1,811 per theater). Its cume is approximately $70.0 million, heading for $80 million in domestic theaters.
Written and directed by Steven Spielberg, it was produced by Kathleen Kennedy, Spielberg and Bonnie Curtis. Starring are Haley Joel Osment, Jude Law, Frances O'Connor, Brendan Gleeson and William Hurt.
"I'm sure (you're aware of) the success that it's had overseas, which is really terrific," Warners' Dan Fellman said, pointing out that Warners is distributing A.I. worldwide. "In Japan alone the picture's going to do $90 million or maybe more. On a global basis, it's going to be a big success.
"You have to remember that Steven made this movie as a legacy to Stanley (Kubrick) and Stanley's biggest movie in the U.S. was Eyes Wide Shut at $55 million. His next biggest movie in the U.S. was Full Metal Jacket at $46 million. Then The Shining at $41 million. So this movie is going to hit $80 million. It really is a Stanley kind of film. The curiosity still exists. That's why I think we'll be able to get $10-12 million, maybe $13 million more out of it (domestically). We'll hang in there."
Rounding out the Top Ten was Paramount and Mutual Film Company's PG-13 rated action adventure Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, down three slots in its fifth week with a quieter ESTIMATED $4.0 million (-41%) at 2,164 theaters (-846 theaters; $1,848 per theater). Its cume is approximately $122.6 million, heading for $130 million in domestic theaters.
Directed by Simon West, Tombstars Angelina Jolie.
OTHER OPENINGS
This weekend also saw the arrival of Artisan's R rated comedy Made with an encouraging ESTIMATED $0.12 million at 3 theaters ($39,069 per theater).
Written and directed by Jon Favreau, it stars Favreau, Vince Vaughn, Sean Combs, Famke Janssen, Faizon Love and Peter Falk.
Lions Gate's unrated drama Bully opened to an unexciting ESTIMATED $0.057 million at 6 theaters ($9,520 per theater). Directed by Larry Clark, it stars Brad Renfro.
SNEAK PREVIEWS
There were no national sneak previews this weekend.
EXPANSIONS
On the expansion front, this weekend saw Fox Searchlight's R rated critically acclaimed British crime thriller Sexy Beast continue to widen in its fifth week, still holding nicely with an ESTIMATED $0.51 million (-31%) at 179 theaters (+45 theaters; $2,821 per theater). Its cume is approximately $3.9 million. Directed by Jonathan Glazer, it stars Ray Winstone and Ben Kingsley.
Miramax's R rated French comedy The Closet went wider in its third week with a still encouraging ESTIMATED $0.3 million (+37%) at 43 theaters (+27 theaters; $7,405 per theater). Its cume is approximately $0.8 million. Directed by Francis Veber, it stars Daniel Auteuil, Gerard Depardieu, Thierry Lhermitte and Michele Laroque. "We'll probably add about another 30 to 40 runs this Friday," Miramax's David Kaminow said.
Fine Line Features' R rated comedy The Anniversary Party went wider in its sixth week with a less charming ESTIMATED $0.27 million (-37%) at 118 theaters (+12 theaters; $2,285 per theater). Its cume is approximately $3.0 million. Written/directed by and starring Alan Cumming and Jennifer Jason Leigh, its ensemble cast includes Jane Adams, Phoebe Cates, Kevin Kline, , Gwyneth Paltrow, Parker Posey and John C. Reilly.
Lions Gate Films' PG-13 rated drama Songcatchercontinued to widen in its fifth week with a soft ESTIMATED $0.17 million (-26%) at 72 theaters (+5 theaters; $2,405 per theater). Its cume is approximately $0.9 million. Directed by Maggie Greenwald, it stars Janet McTeer and Aidan Quinn.
Lions Gate Films' unrated erotic drama Lost and Delirious added a theater in its second week, going nowhere with an unexciting ESTIMATED $0.024 million (-41%) at 8 theaters (+1 theater; $3,055 per theater). Its cume is approximately $0.087 million. Directed by Lea Pool, it stars Piper Perabo.
Miramax's R rated comedy Everybody's Famous widened in its second week with a quiet ESTIMATED $0.018 million at 10 theaters (+6 theaters; $1,800 per theater). Its cume is approximately $0.055 million. Written and directed by Dominique Deruddere, it stars Josse De Pauw.
WEEKEND COMPARISONS
Key films -- those grossing more than $500,000 -- took in approximately $116.03 million, down about 20.76% from the comparable weekend last year when key films grossed $146.43 million.
This weekend's key film gross was down about 8.46% from last weekend this year when key films took in $126.75 million.
Last year, Fox's opening week of X-Men was first with $54.47 million at 3,025 theaters ($18,007 per theater); and Dimension Films' second week of Scary Movie was second with $26.2 million at 3,152 theaters ($8,311 per theater). The top two films one year ago grossed $80.7 million. This year, the top two films grossed an ESTIMATED $39.4 million.